Favorite rts games ?

m1ke

Post up your favorite rts games lads ... here are mine

1. C&C
2. Total Annihilation
3. AOE2
4. C&C Red Alert
5. Starcraft

I never really liked Starcraft so I was put off Warcraft too - but i'm literally being lynched into buying Warcraft 3 by the other lads in my clan. So what are peoples opinions - is WC3 just another Starcraft clone or is it worth the buy ?

regi

I reckon Warcraft 3 owns... and it really is quite different to war2/starcraft once you get into it.

All time favourites:

1 - dark omen (what a game)
2 - starcraft (my korean isn't good enough to play it on battle.net anymore)
3 - warcraft 3 (already:))
4 - C&C
5 - dunno

I didn't like Red Alert or Tiberian sun at all really.

tman

I never really liked Starcraft so I was put off Warcraft too

why the hell is starcraft number 5 then?
i played warcraft 1 a bit, didnt like it, heard that warcraft 2 was deadly, but never got round to getting it. is warcraft3 any good??????????????

anyway, my 5 are:
1: AOE2
2: red alert 2
3: c&c
4: Total Annihilation
5: AOE1

Pepe LeFrits

1. C&C Red Alert
2. Total Annihilation
3. Red Alert 2

Only ones worth putting in order for me. I started on Dune 2 but was too ickle at the time to really understand it and enjoy it, i only played the demo of the original C&C which rocked, i hated starcraft and Tiberian Sun just didn't do it for me at all.

-oRnein9-

1.AOE2
2.C&C Red Alert 2
3.Warcraft3
I don't think many will disagree with my top 3.

kaimera

C&C: RA
AoE2

future fav:

C&C: Generals <<

---

looks classic. Finally WestWood go 3D!

m1ke

Tiberian sun was a real let down yeah, I remember waiting for ages for that game and finishing it in 2 days and then going "is that it" .... online was **** too. Ah well.

I meant to get red alert 2 I heard it redeeming tiberian sun but... well lack of motivation really.


> why the hell is starcraft number 5 then?

I put starcraft in at number 5 since I played it a bit... I never said I hated it or anything it just didn't do much for me but saying that it was a lot BETTER then Tiberian Sun.... and better then a lot of these ****ty rts clone games i've played.

ButcherOfNog

1. C & C, the first 'real' rts, was amazing in its time
2. Warcraft I (zug zug)
3. Warcraft II

I'm tempted into buying Warcraft III but so many RTS's i've played since the 3 i've mentioned just disappointed me, more of the same basically with minor changes, but at the end of the day the games were always more 'Real Time' and less 'Strategy'.

PPC

1. Total Annihilation
2. Red Alert
3. AOE2
4. Starcraft
5. Dune2000

TA is the best RTS imho.

Pugsley

1) AoE2 (or SWGBG, its good fun and its a change)
2) Starcraft
3) C&C (origional and RA1)
4) C&C:RA2
5) Empire Earth

Its a real pity the origional C&C couldnt be played on-line, it would have been great fun, but the nuke would have been a little over powered

Bob the Unlucky Octopus

1. StarCraft - still the RTS of choice for most hard-core strat gamers, and the most played online RTS. (btw reg, the only korean you need is kekekekeke :P) The single player ending is for me, the best I've ever seen- the three races and the units they have are all superbly balanced.

2. C&C(Tiberium Dawn) - Fantastic game, great single-player plot, and the only C&C which was truly balanced. Red Alert & co have since lost the plot- tank rushes and single-unit strats are too easy in them.

3. Warcraft III- Hubba hubba, this game is a work of art. No more zerging, no more elaborate building of walls and single-unit madness- and we get heroes too. Brilliant game.

4. Dune II - What started it all. The little bloodspots were hilarious, the units straight out of the books.

5. Warcraft II- Ok, so I'm a sentimental old bish- but it's the funniest RTS I've played. ("Don't you have a kingdom to run?")


Total Annhilation for me was the attack of the unit-splurge. Very Light Tank. Light Tank. Slightly More than Light Tank. Medium Tank. Above Average Weight Tank. And so on. For every unit class. It was just too much, not to mention the way the two sides resembled each other. The LOS was amazing though, I'll admit. Age of Empires = attack of the pikemen + onagers. Either that or the Teuton defence towers + Wonder building. Very little scope for imagination if two skilled players play, plus it's Microsoft- yecch.

Occy

Asuka

Dark Reign.

Total Annihilation sucked.

A

Monty - the one and only

1. Homeworld
2. C&C Red alert 2
3. Total Annihilation
4. Warcraft 3
5. Star Craft

Funky

1: Starcraft
2: Dark Omen
3: Warcraft 3
4: Warcraft 2
5: AOE2

Squall

1) Starcraft, definately one of the best RTS games to date. Think i played it for 24 hours straight when my dad first bought it (yes my dad plays games) i was home sick from school and i think that made me worse, but it was worth it.

2)Dungeon Keeper, Im suprised this hasnt been mentioned yet. I thought it was class.

3)Homeworld, Nice looking, plenty of units to experiment with and best of all SALVAGE CORVETTES. I had 5 carriers by the end four of them were salvaged plus 3/4 of the rest of me fleet. I love those little corvettes.

4)Ground Control, RTS without the resource gathering or base building good for those who like the strategy aspect.

5)Imperium Galactica 1(Others ive played have been ****e), good game up to the point where your so powerful you build a fleet conquer five planets with it and go back for a couple more tanks and start again.

Never really liked the C&C series, or AOE for that matter. anyone else think theres very few REALLY good RTS games coming out lately? (Havent played Warcraft 3 yet so cant judge that but i havent played a one rts in ages)

GreenHell

Tbh the first Command and Conquer bored the pants off me after a while because it was possible to win the by building routes of sand bags, which NOD/GDI tanks would be stumped to smash through.

C&C:TS - Let down

Red Alert - Brillant still nothing compares to the game.

RA 2 - A good sequal

Total Annihalition - Shame crave dog went outa business because TA was one strategic piece of art.

Starcraft - Never got into it.

AOE - Gets boring, quickly.

Warcraft - damn good as was two and I haven't played 3.

My favourite RTS of all time will always be the orginal Red Alert.

Bob the Unlucky Octopus

Originally posted by GreenHell
Tbh the first Command and Conquer bored the pants off me after a while because it was possible to win the by building routes of sand bags, which NOD/GDI tanks would be stumped to smash through.

Using Alt + move allows your tank units to squash the sandbags/chain link with ease, and your explosive units (rocketers, grenadiers) to blow them to bits. Normal move involves units trying to path around a structure. Building a perimeter just isn't effective anyway because units >>> structures for base defense. A small group of diverse infantry is the cheapest defence in the game. Not to mention the hardest to kill, except with other infantry. The *only* time I've used perimeter defence was for kicks against a stupid computer AI, or when it was gifted to me in single-player. Otherwise it just ain't efficient. The original C&C is the only one which maintained team and unit balance- subsequent versions have failed miserably in this.

C&C:TS - Let down

No arguments here- it was the same game as Red Alert, with even more useless eye candy. And unbalanced as Red Alert too, NOD being way way overpowered in multiplayer.

Red Alert - Brillant still nothing compares to the game.

There I must disagree with you GH. Single unit strategies dominated multiplayer in this game. Not to mention that the Allied side had the pick of the structures and none of the weaknesses of the Soviets. The existence of the Gap Generator alone allowed the Allies to sit tight and build the resources required for cruisers, chrono etc- the Soviets had to rely on tank-rushes to even have a chance of survival. If there was even a sprinkling of water on the map, the Soviets would be hard-pressed to dominate. Fake buildings added to the imbalance of multiplayer, it just wasn't fun to play against an Allied opponent.

Total Annihalition - Shame crave dog went outa business because TA was one strategic piece of art.

The only thing strategic I recall about TA was frantically harvesting metal to build a gaggle of units, half of which I might have a chance of using. The control system was clunky, the maps unimaginative, and the single player game was just awful. In multiplayer, the unit combinations were rarely diverse, there was no dynamic strategy beyond breaking through a base defence. The reason Cavedog went out of business was that they didn't really have their hands on a good RTS, merely a tortuously constructed one. Warcraft II also had two identical sides, but it had a medieval world and a great sense of humor to save itself- TA took itself too seriously for what it was.

Starcraft - Never got into it.

AOE - Gets boring, quickly.

Warcraft - damn good as was two and I haven't played 3.

My favourite RTS of all time will always be the orginal Red Alert.

Starcraft is well worth getting into- it's still the best 2D RTS ever created, not just in popularity, but all-round. Single-player, its story-line is far more compelling than TA's, multiplayer is where it really shines though. Unit combinations peform differently, resource gathering (after initial micromanaging) is thankfully automated, and the three races are very different while being truly balanced. Age of Empires boils down to single/two unit strategy and resource protection- plus it's clear that Microsoft don't generally make brilliant games. Blizzard however, are just very very good at getting an RTS right- Warcraft III is a great example of how they're single-handedly(at the moment anyhow) redefining the RTS genre. Small-scale, with elements of adventure and RP in the plot, it's been worth the wait.

tHE vAGGABOND

Starcraft and AOE2 are the two best..

Warcraft 3 at home, will get into it this weekend and we will see then

Zero

1. Starcraft - best game evurrrrr
2. Warcraft 2
3. Warcraft 3
4. AOE II
5. ....

Wasn't really into the RTS games for a long time, played WC2 then for months, it was class. Then got Starcraft, played that til now. Only started playin AOE II over the summer, with some of the guys in my house. WC3....I dunno about it yet, definitely not better than starcraft.

Kairo

1. Total Annihilation (so much depth)
2. Age Of Empires 2
3. Homeworld (Recently got into this, loving it)
4. Warcraft 2
5. Ground Control

I hated all the C&Cs..Starcraft could have been good, if I'd ever bother to get into it proper. A special mention should go out to Shogon tho...it had some amazing battle sequences, but the rest of the game was dire. I've played a little warcraft 3, and its promising (Zug zug! Dabu!)..but it plays like a 2d rts. The angle changing and zooming is ****e...they might as well have left them out.

Asuka up to his ol' tricks again! :P Still pimping Dark Reign eh? TA cleary wins hands down. PEEWEE RUSH!!

nesf

Hmm, well I couldn't really put them in order per sae, but ones I love/dislike...

Starcraft
Oh the single player is superb. The maps well laid out, and the expanision is well worth picking up. It's one of the few RTS's requiring tactics and strategy, most only contain a need for one. The ways you use your resources, can completely effect your "army/base" later in a game, plus it can really punish a failed firebat rush 3 minutes in or such.

Warcraft
Any Version, I loved the original, and couldn't wait for 2 to be realeased, when it was I was very happy with the variety of units, and the humour in the game, I've yet to get into 3, no time! But it looks pretty, and from ppl's reactions it's meant to be a good 'un.

Total Annhilation.
A diversion, nothing more, the complete lack of a decent single player campaign, or interesting units, or any need for tactics after you penetrated into the opposing base, were huge let-downs. Also the "sameness" of both sides made it quite boring to play, esp sea-maps.

Dune II
I loved it when i got my hands on it oh so long ago, and it's always been a game I've enjoyed to play, the graphics be damned.

C&C
I was never a huge fan, units such as engineers just ruined the game for me, and those annoying missions with a single commando in the single player were just tedious.

Cossacks
I liked it as a game, the single player campaigns were challenging, and the variety of units, plus the carying of basic stats according to country was a nice touch. Also the formations options were very useful for controlling larger forces, and grapeshot for cannons....

_CreeD_

Originally posted by Bob the Unlucky Octopus


The only thing strategic I recall about TA was frantically harvesting metal to build a gaggle of units, half of which I might have a chance of using. The control system was clunky, the maps unimaginative, and the single player game was just awful. In multiplayer, the unit combinations were rarely diverse, there was no dynamic strategy beyond breaking through a base defence. The reason Cavedog went out of business was that they didn't really have their hands on a good RTS, merely a tortuously constructed one. Warcraft II also had two identical sides, but it had a medieval world and a great sense of humor to save itself- TA took itself too seriously for what it was.
.

Methinks you didn't put much time into playing it then. There are literally 100's (if not 1000's) of excellent maps on the web, all the way up to 64x64 screens. Aswell as unit packs that bring the list to ~450 (All of which different in a well balanced pack). There is a great deal of unit diversity, and a multitude of different ways to play. Comparing it to any of the others listed here I'd say it was the only one that really qualifies as Strategy as opposed to tactical. On most std. RTS you might have one base, maybe a few other points to gather more resources, large battles might consist of 20-50 units, any time we play TA now you're going to have hard-points, sub bases, artillery points etc. going up all over the place, 100's of units hacking at each other...War...WAR I tells ya...:). The Control system was excellent imho, it was the first to introduce working standing orders, automatic base-unit actions if set on patrol (eg. repair/help build other units/buildings). The combat AI was great too, none of this having your units in a group picked off one at a time, once there was a line of sight the otheres in the group would move to attack also.
Anyway, starting to go on WAY more than I intended. Basically it's easy to dismiss a game's better qualities if you never spend the time really looking, that's why I stayed away from Starcraft for so long.


My $0.02

1. Total Annihilation
2. Starcraft
3. Homeworld Cataclysm
4. Kill Krush n' Destroy 2 (How can you beat a 2 headed infantry that argues with itself?)
5. Warcraft (Have yet to play 3)

Kairo

Originally posted by _CreeD_

...4. Kill Krush n' Destroy 2 (How can you beat a 2 headed infantry that argues with itself?)
...

Warcraft has those...the Ogres pwn!

Celt

I wont get into another argument about TA, suffice is to say it's my favourite RTS and imo the best.

Starcraft was nothing new, nothing fresh and really wasnt anything better then the games that came before.

1)Total Annihilation
2)Enemy Nations
3)MechCommander
4)C&C

kaimera

Shogun hasn't been mentioned as of yet.
*hmmmm*
I haven't played much o it butt seemed classic.

stormkeeper

My Fave RTS games are

StarCraft: It's a good multiplayer game and the AI can be ruthless at times too (taking advantage of your weak spots). It's also the game I play the most online when I'm thinking about playing a game of something online RTS

C&C: It's a good single player game, but lack of skirmish mode kinda ruins a fair bit of the fun, as you have to go online to get a random battle

Red Alert: This game is a good improvememnt over C&C and with the addition of the rules.ini file, you can easily make your own units for use in the game, making it last longer

C&C: TS: imo, it's an improvement over the original. it has a skirmish mode for practice, a map generator, loads of mods for it and the other features such as meteor showers and ion storms add a bit of randomness to it.
4
RA 2: basically TS & Red Alert, minus the ion storms and meteor showers. still a load of things to do, with the addition of new game modes. i played this and TS over my friends LAN

Homeworld/HW Cataclysm: Great looks for a game, I'm usually in awe looking at the space background. It's a really addictive game too

Warcraft 3: Just got into it... Looks like a good game so far.

Kingdom Under Fire: Basically, Warcraft with bits of Diablo stuck in. I think it's a good combo, especially as the weapon you equip for your heroes in the RPG section stays in the RTS section

Herzog Zwei (Emulated): The very first RTS game... it's kinda like an overhead Battlezone (the new one) really fast and frantic action.

Dune II: The one that started the RTS revolution. still a good game after all these years

Dune 2000: RA with sandworms.. Still not as good as the original Dune II

Emperor: Battle for Dune: this game is fairly good, better than Dune 2k... I've yet to see the massive sandworms

Battlezone: Half Strategy, half 1st person shooter. It's so good, I had to mention it. One of my all-time fave games.

*MechCommander: How could I forget this game? lots to do in one mission, as in a good few things to pickup, different strategies required to take on enemies. top class resource, vehicle & equipment manage ment, meaning you have to think even before you go into battle. definately another one of my top games

*Total Annihilation: A really good game... my P200 at the time could just about play it lol. The Units Independence Pack was quite good and gave the game a good few extra units.

*Edit; I only remembered it after seeing Celts post lol

m1ke

the reason I put C&C down as no1 instead of Total Annihilation was because it was the 1st proper rts out there and a real class act. Once it had been out awhile you get get new units, maps, loads of new stuff for C&C and even a skirmish mode it was a pioneer and great fun to play.

Total Annihilation in my opinion was a work of art though. That's all you can say about it, so much dept in one game.... /me goes off to find the cd

GreenHell

Bob, I know it was possible to destroy the sand bag, but the AI was a bit dodgy, I remember winning the last GDI battle by building a huge honey comb of sang bags all over the map.


Red Alert has a special place in my heart and will never be replace regardless of better games

Some of the custom skirmish maps were just classics.

I dunno if anyone ever tried this but you could edit your units abilites by creating a new ini file. Mammonth tanks at top speed are rather entertaining.

oeNeo

1. Homeworld
2. AOE 2

I haven't played many other RTS games though.

Tellox

1: Shattered Galaxy (I would still be playing it too if it wasnt for my damn connection)
2: Galactic Battlegrounds
3: AOE2

Pepe LeFrits

bastards, cant find my TA cd

ykt0di9url7bc3

Shogun, for single player, such bastid and then stupid AI, a joy to play against the computer

Homeworld, for the best missions

Red Alert 1, for multi player, the sheer volume of tactical moves and tricks, even better with the add-on packs, as like all C&C games the single player missions are just puzzles...(there is a Knack to it)

I found AOE too much resource management, and the fact you could win by not leaving your base...(feckin wonders)

TA....it was great, i think the upgrade system was a bitch

Celt

Originally posted by kaids
bastards, cant find my TA cd

See if you can find the Commander's Pack,
TA + Core Contingency + Battle Tactics + huge strategy guide and it cost me £19.99 2 years ago.

Asuka

Anyone who likes Total Annihilation clearly smells like a pair of socks worn for four days in a row by someone who spends all their time hiking through a marsh in mid-summer, then left to mature for a further month still damp beneath their bed and finally washed in a toilet someone forgot to flush.

A

kaimera

Whats Total Annihilation ?
Never played it.
Any good?

Asuka

No.

A

m1ke

yeah ok relax its just a computer game, needless to say a brilliant one

azezil

hrm in no real order:
HWC
AoE RoR
AoE 2
C&C Red Alert Retaliation
ST Armada 2 (Tactical fusion cube aaaaaaahhhhhhh /me drulles on self)

BKtje

1: Tib Sun. (dont know why peeps knocked it. I loved it. played if for over a year online before moving on to UT. STill play it now and then.

2: Red Alert 1. (had a load of all nighters vs mates on the ps1. couple beers and C&C. what more could u want :P )

3: AOE2.

4: C&C

5: Warcraft3

I didnt like RA2 as much as TS. No idea why tbh. I found it a huge let down tho it was great fun. Dont get me wrong there. But online it was just not as good as TS had been.

jaggeh

1) Homeworld - full 3d combat environment kicks my a$$

2) warlords - classic turn based adventure

3) emperor of the fading sun - less classic turn based goodness

4) Mechcommander - hey im a mechwarrior at heart

5) dune - great mixed rts/adventure game

ButcherOfNog

Em Jag, RTS = Real Time Strategy, i.e. not Turn Based m'kay?

regeneration

Originally posted by m1ke
Post up your favorite rts games lads ... here are mine

1. C&C
2. Total Annihilation
3. AOE2
4. C&C Red Alert
5. Starcraft

I never really liked Starcraft so I was put off Warcraft too - but i'm literally being lynched into buying Warcraft 3 by the other lads in my clan. So what are peoples opinions - is WC3 just another Starcraft clone or is it worth the buy ?

In no particular order I would say:

1 C&C: Tiberian Dawn
The first proper RTS I ever played, and what an introduction. Good plot, great units (the obilisk of light *drool*), nice number of viable tactics, and one of the greatest ever game characters in Kane...

2 Sudden Strike
Frankly, this is my personal favorite. You'll either love or hate this WW2 RTS, but for me, the sheer maturity/depth of the strategy available to the player was great. For me, it makes Warcraft look like toy soldiers in a sandbox.

3 Battle Realms
Fantastic plot, and great new ideas used in this game. You literally train units, instead of magically "building" them ala *craft or the C&C games, from your basic peasent units, making them become warriors using different academys. The "resources" are rice and water!

4 Homeworld
For god's sake you get to command gigantic star-destroyer type capital ships, as well as hundreds of fighters in the vastness of space. The wow-factor of this game is awesome. Hard as nails, but epic.

5 Red Alert 2
The environment is as camp as Christmas, but the energy and fun of the multiplayer aspect is fantasic. I love the game for it's tongue-in-cheek units and characters, plus the frenetic, exciting LAN games that can happen.

Top of the heap though would have to be Sudden Strike. The game made me realise what RTS should be about. Strategy and Tactics, and the realisation every unit counts, was taught to me upon playing it.

jaggeh

i know that but there arent enough rts games that i like to put in there

anyone remember dark colony that was pretty good

Funky

how the hell did i forget Mechcommander ...
that would kick AOE2 off my list anyway

po0k

1. C&C/C&C:RA/Tib Sun/RA2
2. Hostile Waters
3. Ground Control
4. Total Annihilation
5. Z2:Steel Soldiers
6. Starcraft

and a few others.

Bought Dark Colony for a fiver.
Burnt the disc 10 minutes after opening the box.
I've an ad in a PCGamer I must scan up.
The quotes are gas now looking abck on the game.
The Sun/Mirror/Tabloid described it as a great action game. Says it all really.

l3rian

AOE : TC is my favourite

it requires real skill to balance the economy and military aspects

the zone makes playing online great, where this games is best, against the computer is waste of time, the zone rated system is also good

roll on AoM

po0k

I can't stand AoE.
I'm not a farmer.

Ground COntrol suits meh down to the ground

have to sit down and try Empire Earth soon.

l3rian

if you dont like farming, you could always forage the berries or on a water map, fish? but you have to farm a little, in TC the farms can be queued so you dont have to rebuild every time it runs out,

there is only ground and sea units in AoE to control, did you mean military units only? then why not try a scenario? they are good fun, you have unlimited resourses and cant rebuild buildings so you have to concentate fully on battles (no farming), try Germz Blood

EE is terrible, dont waste your time

Pugsley

If you dont like farming you will hate EE, games last ages in it (usually about 12hours) and most of it is resource gathering.
I found EE quite fun on LAN tho, the computer is too stupid tho, if you advance through the ages real quick you can build b12 nuclear bombers and airstrike the computers base before it even has anti air defence buildable.